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Hébert: Leaving backstage for lead role won’t be easy for Topp

Over the course of his first-ever appearance as a contender for political office, NDP president Brian Topp demonstrated many of the qualities that have made him a first-class strategist but little of the kind of presence that lights up a political stage.

As the executive director of ACTRA Toronto (the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists), NDP president Brian Topp has cause to know that the talents of an inspired producer are not necessarily those of an inspiring actor.

The difference between the two tool sets was very much in evidence when he became the first declared candidate for Jack Layton’s succession on Monday,

Over the course of his first appearance as a contender for political office, Topp demonstrated many of the thoughtful qualities that have made him a first-class strategist for the NPD but little of the kind of presence that lights up a political stage.

Layton had more than his share of the latter; by comparison, Topp would offer Stephen Harper a more level playing field.

Over the next six months he will have his work cut out for him convincing New Democrats not that he has the intellect to be prime minister, but that he has the flair to seduce more voters into supporting the party.

To be fair, it may be that Topp needs a bit of time getting used to the brighter lights of the public life he now seeks.

Over the years, he has operated in the shadow of some of the more successful New Democrats of his time — including former Saskatchewan premier Roy Romanow.

In 2008, he served as Layton’s negotiator at the table of the Liberal-NDP coalition.

In his backroom capacity, he was instrumental in refocusing the federal party on winning government.

While he formally rejects the notion of a merger with the Liberals, he was careful on Monday to keep the door open to cooperative arrangements that could accelerate the advent of an NPD-led federal government.

On that sensitive issue, future contenders are likely to take their cue from his position.

For now, his swift arrival in the race accomplishes two major purposes.

Topp is fluently bilingual and his candidacy sets the NDP bar high for language proficiency.

In the past, fluency in both French and English was not always a prerequisite for the leadership of the NDP. But on the heels of the party’s strong Quebec showing in May, a contender who cannot participate fully in the French-language debate(s) of this leadership campaign would be well advised to stay home.

Topp’s announcement also ensures that deputy leader Thomas Mulcair does not leverage his Quebec base into a prohibitive front-runner spot.

On Monday, Gatineau MP Françoise Boivin was on hand to support Topp.

So was former leader Ed Broadbent.

Topp is as Quebec-savvy as Mulcair but he is more familiar with the inner workings of the NDP at the national level — a fact that Broadbent says was central to his decision to give Topp his prized blessing.

This leadership campaign will ultimately be won or lost outside Quebec — as will the NDP bid to move up to government in a future federal election.

Even as Quebec accounts for the majority of the caucus, its low NDP membership rolls — barely 2 per cent of the current total — place the province close to the bottom end in terms of weight on the selection of the next leader.

A seven-month campaign is unlikely to raise the Quebec number near or above that of provinces such as Ontario or British Columbia, where the NDP also boasts deep provincial roots.

With his Quebec advantage somewhat neutralized and Broadbent’s sought-after endorsement spoken for by a rival who happens to be a better-connected insider, Mulcair has to all intents and purposes gone from unofficial pack leader to underdog in the early leadership sweepstakes.

That is no accident.

Among the prospective candidates, none worked more closely with Layton than Topp. He was at the late leader’s side until the very end.

On that basis, one can reasonably assume that if Layton had seen Mulcair — who would bring proven electoral success, cabinet experience and a Quebec household name to the fore of a leadership bid — as his natural successor, Topp would still be backstage running the party rather than auditioning for the lead opposition role in Parliament.

Chantal Hébert is a national affairs writer. Her column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

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